On Tuesday, both airlines announced an event scheduled for September 14, which will be attended by United CEO Scott Kirby and Emirates President Tim Clark.
Violent enemies in the recent past, the carriers declined to provide any further details of the change, but industry sources say Emirates and United are close to signing a historic codeshare agreement in which an airline assigns its two-letter designation and flight number to a service operated by another airline. ;
Code sharing, or sharing — one of the most common types of cooperation between airlines, it allows the carrier to sell flights that he does not actually operate. This, in turn, automatically expands the route network of airlines within the combined ticket.
Industry analysts expect Emirates and United to announce the merger of their frequent flyer programs. In addition, United will return to the Emirates hub in Dubai for the first time since 2016, when the last non-stop flight from Washington took place. Further — more. United accused Emirates and other Gulf airlines, including Etihad and Qatar Airways, of expansion and unfair competition, including receiving billions of dollars in government support, breaking the international aviation market.
Meanwhile, in early 2020, American Airlines has reinstated a codeshare deal with Middle East rival Emirates Qatar Airways as part of a “strategic partnership.”
American has since launched flights to Doha and has boasted of its strong ties to the Gulf region.
The pending deal between United and Emirates will give the two carriers the opportunity to go head to head with American and Qatar Airways, promising overall price cuts on competing destinations.